Google offers tool to bridge Android and iOS app development

Recently, the Google released the tool with the aim to make it easier to port the software between two major smartphone platforms, by converting Java code for Android into Objective-C code that can be compiled to run on Apple iOS devices.

Google’s Tom Ball in a post announcing the tool declared that J2ObjC is not a Java emulator but instead converts a Java classes to Objective-C classes that directly use the iOS Foundation Framework.

The tool doesn’t claim to make writing mobile apps a completely cross-platform affair. Developers who use it to translate their apps will still need to write the UI code in Objective-C using Apple’s iOS SDK. However, the developers can code their core non-UI functionality in Java, then compile versions of those portions of their apps for both Android and iOS from the single code base, rather than maintaining a separate code tree for each platform.

In fact, Ball revealed that they can use the same Java code to develop the web-based versions of their apps using the Google Web Toolkit, which can translate Java Code into JavaScript to run in the browser. Code functionality would remain same for all versions because they would be based on the same source code. Google also revealed that j2objc works with the most build tools, including Xcode and the translation from Java to Objective-C, is totally automated. No additional editing of the tool is necessary.

J2ObjC supports the full Java 6 language and the key runtime features include exceptions, generic types, threads, reflection and their anonymous classes. It even does the perfect job of modeling Java-style memory management in Objective-C.

To build and use the system, developers will need a machine running Mac OS X 10.7 or higher with Xcode 4 or higher and JDK 1.6. As for now, the project is running between alpha and beta quality with the initial release given number 0.8 as an indication of its release status.

All you need to know about iPhone 8

Next Apple phone may be called the iPhone 8 according to the recent reports and the handset is expected to feature a new face which has almost entirely taken up the display. Home button would go away anyway and there are plenty of justification to support the same idea but yet there are no pieces of evidence that the top bezel of the handset would also be removed.

The bottom bezel only houses the home button, which means that Apple can turn that unused real estate into screen space by burying the button under the display. And the apple patents already proved that currently, such technology is in development.

But the top bezel is likely more complex as it contains many things that include a light sensor, proximity sensor, front speaker, and front-facing camera. To get rid of the top bezel, Apple needs to add this features to a display. But if they reduce the size only some components need to be moved.

Some of the news discovered by the Apple Insider revealed that Apple is looking to relocate the front-facing sensors to beneath the display and hence it seemed that Apple is now not satisfied with the bezels on the iPhone. But in reality, the technology would not accommodate Apple’s design ideas.

Interestingly, it also seemed that the next iPhone will have OLED display rather than LCD display. The details will be included in the next-gen iPhone. If Apple is highlighting the type of technology, it meant to figure out the camera and speaker in the display as well. Future of the iPhone will be the only screen you will be holding in your hand.

All you need to know about iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus!

Finally, the most awaited phone of this year is finally here. It was in the tick-tock pattern and is out with the amazing new design. The previous year, iPhone refined and enhanced it with the new “S” Version. And now with the iPhone 7, Apple showed its uniqueness by removing the headphone jack. Hence the most memorable feature of iPhone 7 provoked. Let’s take a look on what Apple added to the flagship!

1. Wireless headphone

As rumored in most of the announcements, Apple lost its ubiquitous 3.5mm headphone jack. Now you‘ll be no more using wired headphone with it unless you use an adapter. Maybe you use it all the time to listen to music on a special set of headphones or you are just concerned it won’t be there on the off chance you need to plug your phone into the wired speakers.

Apple is providing all in one lighting ear pods, which unfortunately has to plug in the same port of charging. Hence it disables you to hear the music when your battery is in charging mode.

This is all about the encouragement for the people to buy the ear pods with the additional price of $159 when they are released in October. This ear-pods are great but wired ear pods give better sound quality.

2. Camera

If you get numerous beautiful and enhanced features on the iPhone 7, you would surely hinge on how important is a camera for you. The iPhone 7 is up with the wider F1.8 aperture, image stabilization and bigger image sensor which makes the pictures look better.

The most exciting thing about iPhone 7 is, it has the dual camera system in iPhone 7 plus, the larger and more expensive version of the new device. It has 12 MP wide-angle lens similar to i7 and additionally, 12MP telephoto lens just beside it. This 2 lens enables the twice digital zoom and much better optical zoom.

The major drawback of iPhone 7 is that you will need a stick to using it.

3. Water Resistant

Even though the iPhones are getting water resistant, the iPhone 7 has an official IP67 water resistance rating. This means it can be submerged in the water up to 30minutes and you can continuously operate it.

If you dive with your phone, probably not, but just in-case you do so it would likely not be a $700 mistake. 

4. Increased Storage

The iPhone 7 has raised minimum storage from 16GB to 32GB and with the options of 128GB and 256GB too.

5. New colors

This is another sexy thing that iPhone has brought with it. The newly changed colors will be available when the iPhone will arrive in May or you might not get the shade which you want. The big additions are black, jet black which is available in 128GB and 256 GB iPhone 7S.

Miscellaneous

There are no blockbuster features, but there are some great integrations for all the iPhone lovers who wish to upgrade:

• Support wider color palate enabling you to take new camera pop 
• Stereo speakers making the voice of your iPhone loud 
• Much faster compare to others 

These are some of the clear features of iPhone 7, which pops you to upgrade to the new version. To be very precise, iPhone 7 has some amazing and desirable features. And iPhone 7 plus has an incredible camera with the phone app attached. If this impresses you, you must take a plunge.

iOS 10 has some great features but downloading it, may make your phone obsolete

Apple recently released its beta version of iOS 10 and macOS Sierra operating system which can be downloaded by anybody. If you are the fan of Apple and are fascinated by its latest features of stickers, maps, notifications and more, you can download iOS 10 from the Apple’s website.

But, according to the report though you are the tech savvy of the digital era, you should hold off until the bug-free fully tested version of operating system are released in fall.

Some reporters of wall street journal had pointed out that, it will leave you in huge problems, if at all your phone is captured by any bugs with the new software. And to revert to the older version will leave you with the much of hassle. You need to remove the beta version from your iPhone and again restore the backup from iTunes.

There are the chances that, if your download beta versions of your iPhone it may crash the operating system as this OS is still unstable and also it can make your phone unexpectedly useless. So why to take a risk? Additionally, if your iPhone’s or laptops are much older than, chances to crash the operating system is quite high. 

Though if you didn’t find any bugs in the new operating system iOS 10 and macOS Sierra, it would not be compatible with all the apps that you are always looking for. Developers are working on it, but sill it is better not to update until the last and latest build release in fall. Best is, everyone should hold off from downloading to avoid risk.

But still, if you can’t hold off your patience, you need to register with Apple as a public beta tester and the company will send you the instructions on how to install. Anyways, you can wait for the few months until the final tested software gets ready.

Safari 10 dumps out Java, Silverlight and Flash

Apple has taken a new curve, and added a new stumps to the pitch of a Flash. Ricky Mondello - one of team member of the Safari, revealed that, Flash will be automatically get disabled from the Safari 10and will ship the new MacOS operating system later this year.

The firm is not just dumping out Adobe, but will block the other plugins like QuickTime, Silverlight and Java. If the site element is requesting Flash, it will initially tell that plugin is not installed, and would display Adobe flash link. In Safari 10, when the user clicks on that link Safari will prompt the user to know that plugin is actually in their system, whether they want to install it or not. 

In a blog post, Ricky Mondello highlights that, running HTML5 instead of plugin would bring the user with more benefits like improved battery, performance and more. These standards now include much more functionality needed to support media and interactive experiences.

With other plugins, user would see content placeholder on a site with some form of “click to use” button. Selecting these will give out options for flash. Once it is authorized Safari will continue to use those plugin until it haven’t been used there over the months. Apple recommends web developers implement features using technologies built into Safari to avoid forcing users to activate plug-ins.

Safari 10 also include the feature for loading the page with the installed plugins activated to give the users additional choices for controlling the content that’s displayed. The developer added that betas of

Safari 10 for OS X Yosemite and El Capitan will be available later this summer.

This move sees Apple following in the footsteps of Google, Microsoft and Mozilla. Google has already started blocking Flash adverts, and the firm announced that its Chrome browser will block Flash by default later this year except for a whitelist of top 10 websites like YouTube and Facebook.